ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Every edition of ‘India 2019’ and ‘Bharat 2019’ sets new publishing benchmarks: Shri Amit Khare
Reference Annuals ‘Bharat 2019’ and ‘India 2019’ released by Shri Amit Khare
The popular Reference Annuals ‘Bharat 2019’ and ‘India 2019’ were released by Shri Amit Khare, Secretary, Ministry of I&B today. These have been compiled by the New Media Wing and edited and published by Publications Division under the Ministry. This is the 63rd Edition of the prestigious publication.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Amit Kharesaid that these books are an important tool to highlight the policies and achievements of the Government. He added that every edition of these Reference Annuals sets new publishing benchmarks. Highlighting their immense popularity, he said that these books are read not only by young readers and those desirous of knowing about the development of the country, but also by foreigners who want to get authentic information about India. He also informed that these books will be carried along by the Indian Delegation participating in London Book Fair.
Shri Khare also appreciated the humongous work that goes on behind collation of material for the books and work involved in editing the collated material to ensure that all the facts presented are complementary to each other.
Ms.Sadhana Rout, Director General, Publications Division highlighted the popularity of the Reference Annuals.
Senior officials from the Ministry of I&B and Media Units under the Ministry were also present on the occasion.
Competition Commission of India
CCI approves transfer of 100% shareholding of Sinochem Group Company Limited  and China National Chemical Corporation Limited  to a new company wholly owned by China State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration 
The Competition Commission of India  approves transfer of 100% shareholding of Sinochem Group Company Limited  and China National Chemical Corporation Limited  to a new company wholly owned by China State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration , under Section 31 of the Competition Act, 2002.
Sinochem is engaged in a wide variety of businesses globally and is headquartered in China. In India, Sinochem is, directly or indirectly, primarilyengaged in the following businesses:  Sale of crude oil;  Sale of natural rubber and rubber antioxidants;  Sale of a variety of chemicals, including agrochemicals ; and  Sale of pharma and health products.
ChemChina is engaged in a wide variety of businesses globally and is headquartered in China. In India, ChemChina is mainly engaged in the following businesses:  Sale of chemical products ;  Sale of passenger car tires, bus and truck tires;  Sale of chemical equipment; and  Sale of solar PV modules.
The new holding company is not incorporated yet and accordingly has no business activity.
Detailed order of the Commission will follow.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation  Summit
Seminar on Building Capacities Through Skill Training and New Generation of Entrepreneurs In SCO Partner Nations
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship  is organizing a seminar tomorrow at Hyatt Regency on building capacities among Shanghai Cooperation Organisation  partner nations through skill training and nurturing a new generation of entrepreneurs. At the seminar, India will present its best practices on the digital transformation across different sectors in areas of health, education, skilling, IT and more, with special focus on sectors that helped cater to the welfare challenges faced by the masses during the pandemic.
In addition, there will be a session highlighting Digital Transformation and linkages between industry and Skill based education, to create advocacy about the achievements and learnings in the category, across different sectors such as health, education, skilling, IT etc., which has helped to cater to the welfare challenges faced by the masses during the COVID pandemic. The session will also start a dialogue on how the institutions need to be aligned and stakeholders to be engaged for achieving digital integration across SCO partner nations.
This will give India an opportunity to share best practices in capacity building and inspire other SCO member countries to take up similar programs. The SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organization comprising eight members viz China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan strengthening bilateral relations and regional security.
The focus of the seminar will also be to strengthen the capacities of aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses through skill-based capacity building on the usage of IT platforms, emerging small business entrepreneurship initiatives and trends. The SCO was established in 2001 and India began its association with it as an observer state in 2005 before becoming a member state in 2017. During the 1st meeting on 17th September 2021 in Dushanbe, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi spoke about India's experience of using digital technologies in its development programs and offered to share open-source solutions with other SCO members.
Amid the current global political churn, India is witnessing a surge in the demand in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Blockchain Management, Data Analytics and Robotics. It has increased the demand for higher-order cognition and socio-emotional skills, prompting workers to harness their true potential through adequate skilling, upskilling and reskilling avenues. As a result, mass-scale digitization efforts are being made in creating new education, skilling, and entrepreneurial ecosystems. India is also committed to building a globally competitive workforce to make India the Skill Hub of the World.
Cabinet
Shri Rajiv Gauba Takes Over as the New Cabinet Secretary
Shri Rajiv Gauba today took over as the new Cabinet Secretary in the Government of India after the superannuation of Shri P.K. Sinha. He is an IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre  and has held important assignments like Union Home Secretary, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India and Chief Secretary, Jharkhand. He has also represented India at the International monetary Fund.
Shri Gauba brings to his new assignment rich and wide-ranging experience spanning Security, Governance and Financial verticals in the Central and State Governments as also in international organisations.
He was one of the key implementers of the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and the reorganization of Jammu & Kashmir, and is widely credited for flawless and smooth implementation of the decision. With an eye for details, he spearheaded the formulation and execution of these initiatives in MHA. Along with a small core team, he gave final shape to constitutional and legal aspects while working out administrative and security arrangements.
Earlier, during his stint in MHA as Additional Secretary, he prepared a multi- pronged action plan in 2015 to tackle LWE and steered its implementation which has resulted in significantly shrinking the spread of Maoists’ area of influence.
Besides MHA, Shri Gauba has served in the Central Government in wide ranging areas such as Urban Development, Defence, Environment & Forests, and Department of Electronics and Information Technology.
As Chief Secretary of Jharkhand, Shri Gauba had introduced major governance and economic reforms including lateral entry of professionals, restructuring, downsizing of Ministries, and labour reforms. Jharkhand leapt from the bottom of the table to 3rd rank in Ease of Doing Business during his tenure.
Shri Gauba has also served in the International Monetary Fund representing the country for four years on the Board of IMF.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Constructive co-operation coupled with trust and transparency is key to tap the trade potential of SCO Member States: Smt. Anupriya Patel
SCO members must prepare and pursue an agenda that is equitable, inclusive and development oriented: Smt. Anupriya Patel
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Smt. Anupriya Patel said that constructive co-operation coupled with trust and transparency is key to tap the trade potential of SCO Member States. She was making an intervention at the 21st Meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation  Ministers responsible for Foreign Economy and Foreign Trade. The Minister mentioned the opportunities available in the SCO region for mutually beneficial, balanced and equitable gains for all SCO Members. She stressed on the need for effective cooperation between SCO Member States for a balanced and equitable growth in trade and commerce.
She underscored the importance of collective efforts to achieve balanced and equitable economic growth by way of making trade as an engine of reviving growth and driver of economic recovery. She emphasised that trust and transparency determine the sustainability of global trade and preserving the fundamental principles and objectives of the multilateral trading system.
She stressed on the need to work towards enhancing affordable access to medicines, therapeutics, vaccines as well as health care at affordable prices for fighting any pandemic, such as Covid-19 to preserve the life, livelihood, food and nutritional security of the poorest.
To bring prosperity for the human kind, MOS emphasised the need to share the best practices on technological development, optimum utilization of resources, conservation of environment, sustainable distribution of resources so that present and future generation have adequate resource to live with, in a happy environment. On the issue of environment, MOS expressed that the climate agenda at world forum should not be used to introduce measures restricting trade and investment cooperation.
MoS also highlighted that there is a significant gap in digital technologies between developed and developing countries which needs to be narrowed down by building digital capacities.
She lauded the recent initiative of SCO, wherein City of Varanasi has been nominated as the first-ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital for the period of 2022-2023. She expressed hope that this will help promote tourism and people-to-people interaction and boost trade and economic cooperation.
In her concluding remarks, MOS emphasized that SCO members must prepare, act and pursue an agenda that is equitable, inclusive and development oriented.
The virtual meeting was attended by the representative of SCO Secretariat and Heads of Delegations of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Cabinet approves MoU between the ICMR and INSERM, France
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding  which was signed in March, 2018 between the Indian Council of Medical Research  and the Institut National de la Santeet de la RechercheMedicale , France.
Salient Features:
The MoU aims at cooperation in areas of common interest within the medical, life sciences and health research fields. Based on scientific excellence on both sides, the parties have agreed to have a specific focus upon:
- Diabetes and Metabolic disorders;
- Bio-ethics with focus on Ethics and regulatory issues of Gene editing techniques;
- Rare diseases; and
- Any other areas of mutual interest can be considered after discussions between the two sides.
The MoU will further strengthen relations between ICMR and INSERM within the framework of international scientific and technological cooperation in fields of mutual interest. The scientific excellence on two sides will help to successfully work on health research in specified areas.
IFSC Authority
IFSCA inks MoU with GVFL Limited for strengthening the FinTech ecosystem in GIFT IFSC
The International Financial Services Centres Authority  and GVFL Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding  at IFSCA’s office at Gift City here today for co-operation and collaboration to support and facilitate FinTech ecosystem in GIFT IFSC.
This MoU focuses on collaboration between the two organization for exchange of information and undertaking diverse initiative as regards FinTech industry including holding seminars, webinars, conferences, etc., for the growth of FinTech in the GIFT IFSC. The MoU also provides scope for guidance, mentorship and other spectrum of support to the FinTechs working in the accelerator/Cohorts operating in GIFT IFSC and the entities in regulatory sandbox of IFSCA. Most importantly, the MoU provides an impetus for fostering and amplifying the investment ecosystem in GIFT IFSC.
The International Financial Services Centres Authority  is a unified regulator responsible for development and regulation of financial products, financial services and financial institutions in the International Financial Services Centre  established in India. IFSCA endeavors to encourage the promotion of financial technologies  initiatives in financial products and financial services across the spectrum of banking, insurance, securities, and fund management etc. in IFSC and give boost to the establishment of a world class FinTech Hub at GIFT IFSC comparable with other International Financial Centers  around the globe.
GVFL Limited is pioneer of Venture Capital in India. Promoted by World Bank and Government of Gujarat in 1990, GVFL is an independent, autonomous Board managed venture finance company based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The main purpose of the Company is to support venture capital ecosystem in multiple sectors including FinTech sector by funding and encouraging entrepreneurs with innovative Ideas.
The GIFT-IFSC is well poised to serve FinTech companies with its robust ecosystem, domestic and international networking and concentration of Financial Institutions. IFSC also offers the unique advantage of being a separate financial jurisdiction within India with no restriction on currency convertibility and a unified regulator for Banking, Capital Markets, Insurance and Funds Management which enables FinTech firms having innovative idea or solutions cross cutting across the banking, capital or insurance sector to have seamless interaction with the unified regulator enhancing ease of doing business.
Ministry of Railways
President’s Police Medal awarded for Distinguished and Meritorious Services to the RPF/RPSF personnel
Principal Chief Security Commissioner, N.E. Railway gets President’s Police Medal  for Distinguished Service
On the occasion of Republic Day 2022, the Hon’ble President of India has awarded President’s Police Medal  for Distinguished Services and Police Medal  for Meritorious Services to the following RPF/RPSF personnel:
President's Police Medal  for Distinguished Service:
- Shri Atul Kumar Srivastava, Principal Chief Security Commissioner, N.E. Railway
Police Medal  for Meritorious Service:
1. Shri Ajay Kumar Sharma, Assistant Commandant, 6 BN RPSF
2. Shri Sanjay Suresh Joshi, Assistant Security Commissioner, South East Railway
3. Shri Javed Mokashi, Inspector/ South Western Railway
4. Shri Sarwan Kumar, Inspector, Northern Railway
5. Shri Saroj Kumar Dubey, Inspector, JJR RPF Academy, Lucknow
6. Shri Narasimha Udugu, Inspector/South Central Railway
7. Shri Prabir Kumar Das, Inspector/ Eastern Railway
8. Shri Sukhwant Singh, Sub-Inspector, JJR RPF Academy, Lucknow
9. Shri Omprakash Dagar, Sub-Inspector, Western Railway
10. Shri K.M.Sunil Kumar, Sub-Inspector/ Southern Railway
11. Shri Supriya Thakur, Sub-Inspector/Eastern Railway
12. Shri Mastan Vali Shaik, Assistant Sub-Inspector/ South Central Railway
13. Shri Aditya Prakash Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector/North Eastern Railway
14. Shri Kunal Kar Purkayastha, Head Constable, Eastern Railway
15. Shri Kailash Chandra Joshi, Cook/ Northern Railway.
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
Oil Public Sector Undertakings have diversified petroleum basket and procuring crude from countries located at various geographical locations
The Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Rameswar Teli in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today informed that to ensure security of crude supplies and to mitigate the risk of dependence on crude oil from single region, Oil Public Sector Undertakings  have diversified its petroleum basket and procuring crude from countries located at various geographical locations viz. Middle East, Africa, North America, South America, etc.
Oil PSUs have started importing crude oil from USA, Russia, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Guyana, Norway, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Nigeria.
The transportation charges for import of crude oil is variable in nature. The transportation charges are dependent on supply-demand dynamics, seasonal variations, geopolitical situations, size of parcel, location of receiving port, etc.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Shri Nitin Gadkari inspects Zojila Tunnel , Asia's longest tunnel to establish all weather connectivity for Ladakh with Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Shri Manoj Sinha
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari today inspected Zojila Tunnel ,Asia's longest tunnel to establish all weather connectivity for Ladakh and an important project implemented in Jammu and Kashmir with the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Shri Manoj Sinha and members of Parliament of Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Road Transport and Highways.
19 tunnels are being constructed in Jammu and Kashmir at a cost of Rs 25000 crore. Under this, the construction of 13.14 km long tunnel and approach road at a cost of Rs 6800 crore is in progress in Zojila. It is a 7.57 m high horseshoe-shaped single-tube, 2-lane tunnel, which will pass under the Zojila Pass in the Himalayas between Ganderbal in Kashmir and Drass town in Kargil district of Ladakh. The project includes a Smart Tunnel  system, which has been constructed using the New Austrian Tunneling Method. It is equipped with facilities like CCTV, radio control, uninterrupted power supply, ventilation. The use of modern technology in this project has saved the Government of India more than 5000 crore rupees.
Under the Zojila Tunnel project,the main Zojila tunnel of 13,153 meters with 4 culverts of total length of 810 meters, 4 Nilgrar tunnels of total length of 4,821 meters, 8 cut and covers of total length of 2,350 meters and three 500 meters, 391 meters and 220 meters of vertical ventilation shaft are proposed. So far 28% work of Zojila Tunnel has been completed.
With the construction of this tunnel, there will be all-weather connectivity for Ladakh. Curently the average travel time to cross the Zojila Pass sometimes takes three hours, after the completion of this tunnel the travel time will come down to 20 minutes. The reduction in travel time will ultimately result in fuel savings.
The terrain near Zojila Pass is extremely inhospitable, with many fatal accidents taking place here every year. After the completion of Zojila Tunnel, the chances of accidents will be zero. This tunnel will provide year-round connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh, which will be extremely important for the development of Ladakh, promotion of tourism, free movement of local goods and movement of Indian armed forces in case of emergency.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Films Division to pay tribute to veteran documentary filmmaker Vijaya Mulay
Tributes will be paid to veteran documentary film maker-writer, Vijaya Mulay at Films Division, Mumbai on 23rd August, 2019. Apart from the iconic animation film Ek Anek Aur Ekta, a biopic made by “Akka” on Gangubai Hangal will also be screened on the occasion. Noted film personalities Suhasini Mulay, Sudhir Nandgaonkar, Kiran Shantaram and Uma D’Cunha will share their memories and association with Vijaya Mulay.
The event is being organized by Films Division under the aegis of its documentary film club KSHITIJ, in association with IDPA , at J.B. Hall, Films Division Complex, Mumbai from 5.00 pm onwards on 23rd August, 2019.
After the tribute to Vijaya Mulay, PSBT documentary film Veil Done by Juhi Bhatt will be screened. The film shows struggles of young women in a conservative society with lots of restrictions; it depicts how these women break the shackles, overcome barriers and start to live their lives.
Entry to KSHITIJ film club screenings is open to all film lovers.
Ministry of Tourism
Incredible India Campaign Wins Pata Gold Award 2019
The Incredible India "Find the Incredible You" campaign released globally by the Ministry of Tourism during 2018-19 has been declared winner of the PATA  Gold Award 2019 in the “Marketing - Primary Government Destination” category. This year’s awards attracted 198 entries from 78 organisations and individuals worldwide.
The Ministry of Tourism, as part of its promotional initiatives annually releases Global Media Campaigns under the ‘Incredible India’ brand-line in the Television, Print, Digital and Social Media, in key and potential source markets overseas.
To take the Campaigns to the next level, the ‘Incredible India 2.0’ Campaign was launched in September 2017, which marks a shift from generic promotions undertaken across the world to market specific promotional plans and content creation. The campaign focuses on digital and social media and the promotion of Niche Tourism products of the country.
As part of the 2.0 Campaign, five new television commercials were produced by the Ministry, which were aired globally in the television, digital and social media. These were:
- Yoga : “The Yogi of the Racetrack”
- Wellness : “The Reincarnation of Mr. and Mrs. Jones”
- Luxury : “The Maharani of Manhattan”
- Cuisine : “The Masala MasterChef”
- Wildlife : “The Sanctuary in Paris”
The campaign strategy was to shift the focus from the external experience of tourist destinations to the internal experience of travelers themselves. This series of transformative experiences was brought alive through unique storytelling in the format of autobiographies of travelers, with the tagline “Find the Incredible You”.
The series of films have received a very good response and have registered over 153 million views on social media. They were earlier awarded the First Prize in the category of TV Cinema Spot at the International Golden City Gate Tourism Awards at Berlin in March 2019.
PATA Gold Awards are given to tourism industry organizations and individuals making outstanding contribution towards the successful promotion of the travel industry throughout the Asia Pacific Region. The winners of the awards set industry standards for excellence and innovation and serve as examples for others to follow.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves creation of one post of Secretary and one post of Joint Secretary in the newly created Department of Fisheries
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved one post of Secretary in the level 17  and one post of Joint Secretary in the level 14 of the Pay Matrix  in the Department of Fisheries on permanent basis to ensure smooth functioning and fulfil the mandate of the newly created Department.
Newly created posts would enable the Department of Fisheries to undertake/monitor number of projects/schemes for the development of the sector, the welfare and protection of the interest of the large number of Fishermen.